CHARACTERIZATION AND ANALYSIS OF MICROENCAPSULATED PROBIOTICS USING MILK BASED EXTRUSION METHOD

–Probiotics, an essential part of human life, still remains insufficient in foods we consume. They are active live microorganisms that enrich the gut microbiota. They are of various types and Lactobacillus are one among them. Probiotics have the potential to activate the immune system by enriching the gut by interacting with stomach epithelial cells. Goat milk provides a medium of abundant Lactobacillus species as they are rich in medium fatty acid chains and linoleic acid. Microencapsulation is a process of immobilization. Among other methods, sodium alginate-calcium chloride bead formation is preferable. Sodium alginate is the preeminent in this process as it is nontoxic and biocompatible. Vitamin B12 is incorporated into the Lactobacillus beads as they are essential macromolecules.Vitamin B12 is a major compound required for DNA synthesis and survival of Lactobacillus. They act as cofactor for enzymes involved in metabolic pathway. Incorporating vitamin B12 into microspheres prevent them from decaying and enhance survivability. Characterization tests assess the properties of microspheres and determine the level of consumption. These tests examine the capacity of the beads in target delivery of probiotics to gut. Stability tests are performed for assessing the release profile of microspheres in releasing the probiotics to target. Stability tests are performed in phosphate buffer and skimmed milk under the observation for a period of time. Survivability tests are performed in stimulated intestinal juice to determine the survivability of beads in extreme conditions in stomach. Stimulated intestinal juice contain HCL, bile salt and pancreatin that mimic the intestinal juice. Other tests are also performed such as FTIR, SEM, ZETA potential for further morphological studies and their enlarged examination. These tests and assessments are required for the probiotic consumption. The results of stability and survivability can be obtained in CFU by MRS agar plating. The results are compared between microencapsulated cells and free cells.